The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 25, 2010
Filed:
Dec. 29, 2008
Eric Herbert Altendorf, Everett, WA (US);
Scott Harsila, Bothell, WA (US);
Matthew David Watson, Bellevue, WA (US);
Eric Herbert Altendorf, Everett, WA (US);
Scott Harsila, Bothell, WA (US);
Matthew David Watson, Bellevue, WA (US);
Mitutoyo Corporation, Kawasaki-shi, JP;
Abstract
An extended range focus sensor is provided. In various embodiments, the focus sensor may include a relay lens assembly to image a plane between an objective lens and the relay lens arrangement to a plane near an entrance pupil of a focus detector arrangement of the focus sensor. In some embodiments, the objective lens pupil is imaged onto the focus detector entrance pupil. In some embodiments, an illumination beam passes through the relay lens arrangement and is magnified on its way to be output by the objective lens, and the reflected focus detection beam passes back through the objective lens and the relay lens arrangement and is reduced prior to being input to the focus detector arrangement. In some embodiments, the focus detector arrangement may comprising a broad range focus detector combined with a high resolution Shack-Hartmann focus detector, and in others a single extended range Shack-Hartmann focus detector is used.